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The historic ruins of Monasterboice are of an early Christian settlement. The site houses two churches built in the 14th century or later and an earlier round tower, but it is most famous for its 10th century high crosses.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, Chris Hill/Tourism Ireland

Ireland has always held an otherworldly mystique for outsiders. When you’re experiencing the dreamlike beauty of the valleys that rise skyward to mist-covered hills or drop off at craggy shores, those age-old tales of fairies, leprechauns and giants don’t seem so far-fetched. The Irish themselves may consider such folklore as best left to bedtime stories and souvenir shops, but the traditions of their pagan ancestors still persist in countless Christian rituals celebrated by an increasingly secular population.

It all makes perfect sense once you get a personal feel for Irish spirituality, which blurs the transition between prehistory and the present day. The figure who best represents that indistinct dividing line is familiar to anyone who’s worn a shamrock or raised a pint of green beer on March 17 — a Romano-Briton lad by the name of Patricius, better known today as St. Patrick.

St. Patrick was captured by Irish marauders at the age of 16 from his home on the west coast of what is now Great Britain. He spent six years in Ireland as a slave, forced into work as a shepherd. After becoming acquainted with local language and religion, he managed to escape but returned to Ireland around 430 AD as a bishop and missionary with the goal of converting the Irish to Christianity.

A key place to explore the fact and fiction about the legendary saint’s life and works is the St. Patrick Centre, in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland. It’s only one of over a dozen important sites along St. Patrick’s Trail, a 147-kilometre self-driving tour that loops from the Catholic and Protestant religious centre of Armagh, down to the Downpatrick coast and up to Belfast.

St. Patrick is said to have chased away the gods that snaked through every corner of pagan Irish life. (There never were any real snakes). But his real accomplishment was to help found a unique form of Christianity that absorbed rather than replaced paganism. The practice of water worship, for example, no doubt influences the ceremonial Blessing of the Bay done each August in Galway and the claim of miraculous cures and healing at Ireland’s numerous “holy wells.”

In Kildare, the centre of veneration of St. Brigid, there is a holy well dedicated to the Patroness of Ireland that is renowned for its healing properties. It also happens to be the place where ancient Celts worshipped the spring goddess, Brigid, on the first day of February — St. Brigid’s feast day.

Likewise, more holy wells are attributed to St. Patrick than he could have visited, and the pilgrimage up Croagh Patrick mountain, near Westport, County Mayo, was an Irish rite of passage long before the saint allegedly fasted atop it for 40 days. Prior to his time, women would climb up and sleep at the summit during the autumn harvest festival to enhance their fertility.

Today, one million people come from far and wide to visit the mountain every year, and many make the arduous climb up its 750-metre slope, particularly on the last Sunday in July. Some Catholic believers attempt to do so barefoot or on their knees as a form of penance. From the summit, the natural splendour of the surrounding countryside and sea rewards hardy climbers and a modern chapel on the site offers mass and confessional services.

Despite or perhaps because of declining church attendance and religious affiliation in Ireland, religious-themed festivals have a strong pull on the Irish psyche, bringing together the devout and the lapsed alike to listen to traditional music, eat traditional foods and reconnect with the island’s heritage.

Each midsummer, rural areas across Ireland light up on June 23, the eve of St. John the Baptist’s feast day. To locals, it’s “Bonfire Night,” named for the great blazes sparked in the saint’s honour at sunset and kept burning throughout the night — an event that rekindles pagan summer solstice celebrations.

Those seeking a less boisterous experience could visit Ireland’s historic monasteries and convents, where the most devoted Christians opted to cloister themselves from society. Perhaps the most stunning example is found on the remote island of Skellig Michael, where you’ll find a well-preserved complex of primitive stone “beehive” huts built and inhabited for 600 years by Irish monks. For those who have the time to make the boat trip and climb its stone stairs, it’s well worth the effort.

Finally, travellers with an interest in Catholic faith and learning may want to consider attending the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, in Dublin from June 10–17. The event is expected to attract 175,000 people, and will host talks by church officials, leaders of Catholic lay organizations and many others.

The historic ruins of Monasterboice are of an early Christian settlement. The site houses two churches built in the 14th century or later and an earlier round tower, but it is most famous for its 10th century high crosses.